Canterbury - Fire and Emergency

Canterbury - Fire and Emergency Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Canterbury - Fire and Emergency, Government Organization, 248 Lichfield Street, Christchurch.

30/07/2026

Tomorrow, between 12pm and 1pm, members of the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union will be stopping work for one hour.

We will continue to answer 111 fire calls. Volunteer stations in the affected cities and towns will respond, as they regularly do when there are multiple emergencies.

If you are at home, do not leave cooking unattended. Make sure you have working smoke alarms in every bedroom, hallway, and living area.

If there is a fire, get out, stay out, and call 111.

If you are at work, know your building evacuation plan. If there is a fire or the fire alarm sounds, exit the building, assemble at your safe meeting place and call 111.

If you are on a job site that uses spark or heat generating tools, we ask you to refrain from using these tools during this hour.

It is important to acknowledge that this strike action will not affect the parts of the country served by our volunteers.

If you are unsure whether your area is affected, please visit https://shorturl.at/thoU5

Shout out to all the firefighters who have been out supporting their communities around our region today.The Kaikoura Vo...
07/07/2026

Shout out to all the firefighters who have been out supporting their communities around our region today.

The Kaikoura Volunteer Fire Brigade rescued two people from the water where the Cribb Creek bridge had been washed out and helped Kaikoura's civil defence evacuate residents today. The Hanmer Springs Volunteer Fire Brigade used ropes to rescue two people from a vehicle in a ravine this afternoon.

Thank you to Hororata fire brigade, Conway Flat Volunteer Fire Brigade, Cheviot Fire Brigade and Southbridge Fire Brigade who all responded to weather-related incidents across Canterbury, and to everyone who is ready to answer the siren and pager again tonight.

Yesterday we deployed a Specialist Water Rescue Team to Kaikoura as part of Fire and Emergency's preparations for the heavy rain. Today they have been working alongside our local firefighters, helping with rescues and evacuations where their equipment and additional skills complement the brigadesโ€™ immediate response capability and situational awareness.

The top and left photos show the water rescue team together with the Waiau Volunteer Fire Brigade preparing to rescue a man from a river near Mt Lyford early this morning. The middle and right photo show the evacuation of residents and pets from a property on Schoolhouse Road in Kaikoura.

Stay safe out there today, whether the road you're on is covered in water like this one or it's covered in snow and ice....
06/07/2026

Stay safe out there today, whether the road you're on is covered in water like this one or it's covered in snow and ice.

Driving through flood waters is dangerous and puts lives at risk โ€“ not just for you and your passengers, but for the first responders who are called to rescue you if you get stuck.

Photo from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi - Canterbury & West Coast - check with them about state highway closures and with your council about local roads.

Kaikลura District Council Selwyn District Council Waimakariri District Council Hurunui District Council Kaikoura Volunteer Fire Brigade Waiau Volunteer Fire Brigade

06/07/2026

๐Ÿ”ดSevere Weather Warnings ๐Ÿ”ด

Good afternoon, Canterbury.
MetService New Zealand have issued a red warning for the Kaikoura area and have updated other warnings that extend across a large area of the region.

We are in for a very wintery and wet few days. With significant amounts of rain expected - Please keep up to date with the latest advice - we will be posting more information throughout the afternoon.

๐ŸŒง๏ธIf you have any travel plans, please check the road status before you leave home.

๐Ÿ”ดHeavy Rain Warning

Period: 35hrs from 4pm Mon, 6 Jul - 3am Wed, 8 Jul
Area: Marlborough and Canterbury between Ward and Hanmer and southeast of the Awatere Valley, including the Kaikoura ranges
Forecast: Expect 250 to 350 mm and possibly up to 400 mm. Peak rates of 15 to 25 mm/h expected Monday night and during Tuesday morning and afternoon, especially about the ranges. Freezing level about 1600 metres and snow likely above 1200 metres.

Impact: Threat to life from dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and slips. Conditions will disrupt travel, make some roads impassable, and isolate communities.
Action: Do not enter floodwaters and avoid travel. Act quickly to self-evacuate if you see rising water. Be ready for power and communications outages.

๐ŸŸ  Heavy Rain Warning - Orange
Period: 26hrs from 10am Mon, 6 Jul - noon Tue, 7 Jul
Area: Canterbury from Geraldine to Lake Sumner, and west of Ashburton and Christchurch
Forecast: Expect 120 to 170 mm of rain, especially about the foothills and high country region, and with 50 to 80 mm over the plains. Note this rain falling as snow above 600 metres. Moderate chance of upgrading to a Red Warning.
Impact: Streams and rivers may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions possible.
Action: Clear your drains and gutters to prepare for heavy rain. Avoid low-lying areas and drive cautiously. Preparedness advice.

Environment Canterbury
Kaikลura District Council
Hurunui District Council
Waimakariri District Council
Christchurch City Council
Environment Canterbury
Selwyn District Council
Ashburton District Council
Timaru District Council
Mackenzie District Council
Waimate District Council

We're a province of two halves today, with inland areas experiencing snow and the coast expecting heavy rain. Fire and E...
05/07/2026

We're a province of two halves today, with inland areas experiencing snow and the coast expecting heavy rain.

Fire and Emergency is ready to support our communities, as always.
โ€ข If life or safety is at risk, always call 111 straight away.
โ€ข Do not drive through flood water - there may be hidden obstacles or the road may have been washed away
โ€ข Prepare for power cuts.
โ€ข Torches are safer than candles, but if you must use candles then always put them in a sturdy holder on a flat surface, well away from anything that could catch fire, including curtains and blinds.
โ€ข If the power goes off, switch off all lights and appliances
โ€ข Treat all fallen power lines as live and stay well away

We recommend keeping up to date with the forecasts through MetService New Zealand and checking road conditions with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi - Canterbury & West Coast.

Follow the advice from your local council and Civil Defence Emergency Management Canterbury as you prepare for possible flooding.

Kaikoura Volunteer Fire Brigade

๐Ÿ”ฅ ๐‡๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ. ๐ƒ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ซ. ๐–๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ž๐ซ. ๐ˆ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ฒ? โ˜€๏ธLong-range forecasts indicate New Zealand is likely to experience El...
03/07/2026

๐Ÿ”ฅ ๐‡๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ. ๐ƒ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ซ. ๐–๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ž๐ซ. ๐ˆ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ฒ? โ˜€๏ธ

Long-range forecasts indicate New Zealand is likely to experience El Niรฑo weather conditions this summer. In Canterbury, that often means hotter, drier and windier weatherโ€”the perfect recipe for wildfires.

These conditions mean ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ซ๐ญ ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ข๐ž๐ซ, ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐œ๐ก ๐ก๐š๐ซ๐๐ž๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ. A burn pile that would normally stay contained or a spark from machinery can quickly become a fast-moving vegetation fire.

The good news is there's plenty you can do now to reduce the risk.

โœ… Mow or graze long grass around your home and sheds.
โœ…Remove dead vegetation, leaves and other flammable materials.
โœ… Trim trees and shrubs so they're not touching buildings.
โœ… Keep driveways and accessways clear for emergency vehicles.
โœ… Think about how you would protect your family, pets and property if a wildfire threatened your area.

๐Ÿ‘‡๐ƒ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐ฅ๐จ๐š๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ž๐ž ๐–๐ข๐ฅ๐๐Ÿ๐ข๐ซ๐ž ๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ ๐‡๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐†๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ž:https://www.fireandemergency.nz/assets/Documents/Wildfire/FENZ-1427-Wildfire-Safer-Housing-Guide-FA_7.pdf

Wildfire preparedness isn't just about protecting your own propertyโ€”it's about helping protect your neighbours, your community and the firefighters who respond when things go wrong.

Don't wait until the first hot nor'wester arrives. Take action now while the weather is still on your side.

Together, we can reduce the risk of wildfire this summer.

Landowners whose unattended burn piles caused a string of vegetation fires across Canterbury last Saturday are being vis...
26/06/2026

Landowners whose unattended burn piles caused a string of vegetation fires across Canterbury last Saturday are being visited by Fire and Emergency New Zealand to ensure they understand their responsibilities for land management fires.

District Commander Dave Stackhouse said that 11 fires escaped and spread quickly in the severe nor-westerly winds. As a result, the districtโ€™s firefighters were stretched to levels normally only seen in mid-summer. โ€œI am very disappointed at the number of fires that had been left unattended,โ€ he said. โ€œIf it hadnโ€™t rained later on Saturday, we would have been calling on brigades from other districts to assist.โ€

As it was, almost every fire brigade in Canterbury was called out, so volunteers were called away from their families and Saturday activities for fires that were mostly completely avoidable.

The winds were well forecast so should not have caught anyone by surprise.

While Canterbury is currently in an open fire season, meaning permits are not required for outdoor fires, landowners are always responsible for the fires that they light on their properties. The same applies to forestry managers.

Under Section 60 of the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act, it is an offence to cause or allow a fire to get out of control and to spread to vegetation or property. The penalties for individuals include a fine of up to $300,000 and up to two years imprisonment.

The message was very simple, Commander Stackhouse said: if you light a fire, you are responsible for it.

While Fire and Emergency always preferred to educate people rather than prosecute, at least one of last Saturdayโ€™s fires was on a property where there had been an escaped land management fire within the last year.

Fires must not be left unattended and have to be completely extinguished, not left to smolder. When strong winds are forecast, anyone who has lit a fire should be checking for hotspots that could be reignited.

There is extensive advice at www.checkitsalright.nz.

Vegetation across Canterbury is already unusually dry for this time of year, and the outlook suggests a very high risk of wildfire in spring and summer because of the predicted El Nino weather pattern.

Itโ€™s tempting to hang winter laundry near a heater. But unless itโ€™s a metre away, your clothes are a fire waiting to hap...
26/06/2026

Itโ€™s tempting to hang winter laundry near a heater. But unless itโ€™s a metre away, your clothes are a fire waiting to happen.

REMEMBER: A METRE FROM THE HEATER

See a fire before it starts

Update @ 1615hrs - We are in attendance at a large fire in Selwyn Road, Rolleston. Please stay away from the area to all...
20/06/2026

Update @ 1615hrs - We are in attendance at a large fire in Selwyn Road, Rolleston. Please stay away from the area to allow our crews to work safely to get this fire under control.

Fire and Emergency are in attendance at multiple wildfires across the Canterbury District.

We are currently at a large wildfire outside of the Hawarden township. This fire was reported to us at 14:18hrs. We have 16 fire appliances on scene and 1 helicopter on route. The fire is not threatening the township. The fire is not contained or controlled at this stage. Please stay away from the area and allow our crews to work safely.

We are also in attendance at a fire in Mount Culverden, where 8 fire appliances are currently trying to control a wildfire.

We have 7 crews in attendance at a fire near Waiau and 14 crews at a fire in Gebbies Valley. These fires are under control with crews working to make sure they are fully extinguished.

We have been in attendance at a scrub fire near Intake Rd, Kirwee since 08.35. Crews have worked hard to get this fire under control and are now making sure it is fully extinguished.

It is important that anyone who has had a fire in the past few weeks checks on them NOW to make sure they are fully extinguished!

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